We arrived in the Hong Kong International Airport Thursday night around 8:30 PM and were quite relieved to learn that China’s firewall didn’t extend there (aka we could use the internet freely). We took their subway system, the MTN, from the airport to Hong Kong island, and then a taxi from the MTN station to our hotel. The MTN is unbelievable (it incredibly quick, clean, cheap and gets good service. The taxi ride to the hotel was awesome, we got our first glimpse of the city in all it’s night light glory—buildings piled sky high, each one bigger and more modern than the next—quite a contrast from the simplicity of Thailand.

Hong Kong AIrport
Hong Kong Airport—a love affair at first sight.

Around 10 we finally arrived at the Ovolo Southside, a brand new hotel in Hong Kong’s up and coming arts district. When we walked inside we were absolutely stunned by just how beautiful the place was. From the views, to the service, to the art (and there was a lot of really amazing stuff) we couldn’t have been more excited. We met the hotel’s manager, Cliff, who gave us tickets to Hong Kong’s Art Central (a local exhibition for up and coming artists that they were sponsoring), and a bunch of recommendations for what to do around the city.

Ovolo Southside Hotel in Hong Kong
Art in the lobby of the Ovolo Southside Hotel in Hong Kong.
Ovolo Southside Hotel in Hong Kong
More artwork in the lobby of the Ovolo Southside Hotel.
Ovolo Southside Hotel in Hong Kong
Hi from the Lo Lounge at the Ovolo Hotel.

Exhausted and starving, we were shown to our room—a small, but modern/industrial space filled with simple and elegant furniture on the sixteenth floor—and directed to CIRQLE (the hotel’s restaurant) for dinner. The food was outrageously delicious (pasta with truffles, a Moroccan baked eggplant dish with hummus and rice, and truffle fries) and the ambiance was awesome. After dinner we went up to the hotel bar, ABOVE, for a quick drink and to check out the city’s notorious skyline (I got a Prosecco and Daniel got some spicy tequila drink that they pour from a tea pot into a glass with a mint leaf). The temperature in Hong Kong was in the ehigh forties/low fifties (Fahrenheit) that night and both of us were absolutely freezing, especially after being in hot and humid weather for the past month. We decided to hit the hay around 1:30 AM, after coming to the conclusion that we were obsessed with Hong Kong and could see ourselves living here (even though we hadn’t yet left the hotel).

Ovolo Southside Hotel Room Hong Kong
Our room at the Ovolo Southside—a small, but modern/industrial space filled with simple and elegant furniture on the sixteenth floor.
Ovolo Southside Hotel
Wall decor inside the Ovolo hotel.
CIRQLE Restaurant for dinner—pasta with truffles, a Moroccan baked eggplant dish with hummus and rice, and truffle fries (not pictured).
CIRQLE Restaurant for dinner—pasta with truffles, a Moroccan baked eggplant dish with hummus and rice, and truffle fries (not pictured).
Above Bar at Ovolo Hotel
The logo for ABOVE—the rooftop bar at the Ovolo Hotel.
Above Bar at Ovolo Hotel
Posing for a quick shot overlooking the skyline at ABOVE rooftop bar at the Ovolo Hotel. First night in cold weather in over a month.

Friday morning we woke up and went down to CIRQLE for breakfast (a delicious spread) and then took a double decker bus to Kowloon. We started off on Nathan Street looking for Sam’s Tailor, but were informed that we didn’t have enough time in Hong Kong for fittings—womp womp. Afterwards, we went to Victoria Harbor City mall (which we thought was called Victoria Habba due to local accents) to get Daniel a pair of nice pants and grab lunch. We ate take-out sushi in the food court and it was absolutely delicious (but next to impossible to get a table).

Fresh sushi in Hong Kong
Fresh sushi in Hong Kong for lunch straight from the take out counter. Just kidding—maybe…directly next to the fish tank is where the sushi is….very fishy.

Ready for a day of exploring shops (or shopping) we headed to Granville Road to check out the local attire. We later learned that aside from the malls, most shops here don’t open until around 3:00 PM—not quite sure why this is, but we thought it was pretty strange. We meandered down the street and found that most of the tiny shops you see street-side actually extend several stories up into massive buildings—very unique to Honk Kong. When more shops started to open, I stumbled upon a random entrance to a nine-story “shopping mall” filled with about thirty 8×8 foot stalls per floor. It felt like we entered some secret realm that kept unfolding. I found a few things to buy and then we left.

Grandville Road Hong Kong
Grandville Road Hong Kong (not our photo).

Later on, Daniel went to get a haircut (he’s never looked better) while I went to some huge mall where they refer to everything as “THE _____” (e.g. The Fashion, The Food, The Beauty, etc.) Eventually we took the bus back to our hotel, showered, changed, and went to an Italian restaurant called Sepa. The place was beautiful, the food was incredible, and the service was horrible (I think we waited over an hour and a half for our first dish to come). Nevertheless, that didn’t seem to matter as we made friends with a local couple at the bar (Dheeraj and Rada) and spent three hours drinking and eating together. We really enjoyed their company! After dinner Daniel and I walked down to Long Kwai Fong (LKF) to check out the nightlife scene and eventually went back to the Ovolo to pass out.

Spiffy new haircut
Daniel’s spiffy new haircut he’s never looked better!
One Mall in Hong Kong
A huge mall where they refer to everything as “THE _____” (e.g. The Fashion, The Food, The Beauty, etc.)
Ovolo Southside Hotel Elevator Design
Selfie in the Ovolo elevator.
Outside of Sepa Restaurant with our new friends Rada and Dheeraj. We really enjoyed their company!
Outside of Sepa Restaurant with our new friends Rada and Dheeraj. We really enjoyed their company!

3 Comments

  1. Seeff Snr March 19, 2015 at 7:02 am

    Nice chop chom

    Reply
  2. Rakciti March 19, 2015 at 12:33 pm

    OMG Victoria Habba with the accent LOLz I can just hear it. Love and miss you guys!!

    Reply
  3. vassi March 19, 2015 at 1:04 pm

    jacks, you look gorgeeeyyy. I LOVE YOUR PANTS!

    Reply

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